Now Johnson risks contempt of Parliament by refusing to release prorogation communications
Boris Johnson’s government is refusing to publish details of communications between Boris Johnson’s aides about the suspension of Parliament.
MPs voted for their release earlier this week, amid concerns that Mr Johnson misled the Queen to induce her to prorogue Parliament, and that the decision to call for prorogation was made earlier than he had claimed.
We already heard earlier today (September 11) that the prorogation was unlawful – although the Tory government is to challenge that ruling in the Supreme Court next week.
I mentioned reasons this was important in tweets earlier today (September 11):
The Scottish ruling against #Parliament #prorogation makes the documents to be released by the government before 11pm more interesting. It has been suggested that the government fabricated false docs to say the decision was made later than in fact.. 1/2 #PoliticsLive #UKpolitics
— Mike Sivier (@MidWalesMike) September 11, 2019
2/2 … and civil servants refused to verify them by affidavit. So what will we see tonight and how will THAT affect #Parliament #prorogation and the #courts ' rulings? #UKPolitics #PoliticsLive
— Mike Sivier (@MidWalesMike) September 11, 2019
This information came from Scottish solicitor Clive Wismayer, before you start thinking I’ve developed a rudimentary form of intelligence.
According to the BBC:
Cabinet minister Michael Gove said the information sought by MPs was “unreasonable and disproportionate”.
It would breach the rights of the nine advisers concerned, including Boris Johnson’s chief aide Dominic Cummings.
To do so, he added, would “contravene the law” and “offend against basic principles of fairness”.
But does it?
You see, when there’s a possibility that these people have been involved in a huge offence against democracy, one has to wonder whether these people are the ones trying to “contravene the law” and “offend against basic principles of fairness”.
In such circumstances, I’m not particularly bothered about breaching the rights of the nine advisers concerned, and I think it should be up to the courts to decide if the information sought was “unreasonable and disproportionate” – in the light of the information that their documents divulge.
The refusal to provide the information, in the face of Parliament’s expressed demand, seems the most suspicious act possible.
And as it is a direct refusal to honour the wishes of Parliament, it seems Boris Johnson is content to add contempt of Parliament to the six defeats heaped on him between the moment Parliament re-convened on September 3 and the moment it was unlawfully (as matters stand at the time of writing) prorogued.
He – and all his advisers – could be in serious trouble here.
Source: Parliament suspension: Government refuses to publish No 10 communications – BBC News
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Boris is running scared now, this could be his undoing, and it is big, it could be Britain’s Watergate (or Water – cannon – gate).
lol . . . can you imagine BoJob doing bird ?
. . eating nowt but bread & water
. . . . wishful thinking . . . . “-(